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Government Coupons for TV Digital Converter Boxes
Posted by: DeLila Bergan on January 04, 2008
If your television still requires "rabbit ears" or an antenna to receive TV signals, you will see nothing but snow beginning February 18, 2009 (NEXT year). That is when television broadcasters will switch from analog systems to digital.
You can continue to use your old television set, however, if you buy and connect a converter box that will allow your old set to use the digital broadcasting signals. Converter boxes should be available in local electronics stores and will probably cost between $50 and $70 per box.
To help you with the cost of the transition to digital broadcasting, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is offering a $40 coupon toward the purchase of a converter box (limit two coupons per household). While millions of coupons are available, you must request them. This program has not been well publicized, so please share the news with friends and neighbors who may have older television sets.
If you already have cable or "pay" TV, you should not be affected by the switch to digital broadcasting and should not need a converter box. You will not be eligible for a coupon. If, however, you have another TV in your home that still relies on an antenna, you may be eligible for a coupon for that older TV that is not connected to your cable system.
To learn more about the switch to digital, to see if you will be affected, and to request your coupon, visit the agency's web site at www.dtv2009.gov. You may also call the National Telecommunications and Information Administration at 1-888-388-2009 (for TTY call 1-877-530-2634) or may write to them at the TV Converter Box Coupon Program, P.O. Box 2000, Portland, OR 97208-2000.
